Bear Drawing Ideas
Nine bear drawings you can copy straight onto paper, from a simple bear face to a bear holding a fish. Every one is a clean pencil outline, drawn by hand, with almost no shading. Pick one, keep it next to you, and copy it line by line.
How to draw a bear step by step
A bear is one of the friendlier animals to draw because almost every part of it is round. There are no long thin legs, no pointed snout and no complicated tail. If you can draw an oval, you are most of the way there.
- Draw a circle for the head. Keep the line light so you can adjust it before you commit.
- Add two small round ears near the top. Bear ears are small circles that sit on the edge of the head, not tall triangles like a fox or a cat.
- Draw a soft rounded muzzle in the lower middle of the face, with a wide nose on top of it and a short curved mouth below.
- Add a large oval body under the head. A bear body is heavy and wide, so make it bigger than feels right.
- Attach the arms and legs as thick rounded shapes. Keep them short and chunky. Thin limbs are the fastest way to make a bear look like a different animal.
Darken your final lines at the end and rub out the guide shapes. That last step is what turns a rough sketch into a finished drawing.
Which bear should you start with
If this is your first bear
Start with the simple bear face close up or the bear paw print. The face is one circle and two smaller circles. The paw print has no animal in it at all, which makes it a good warm up if you are nervous about starting.
If you have drawn animals before
Try the teddy bear sitting, the standing bear front view or the sleeping bear. All three are full body drawings, but the poses are symmetrical or at rest, so nothing is stretching or twisting.
If you want a challenge
The bear standing side view is the most realistic drawing here and takes the most care. The bear holding a fish adds a prop and a pose at the same time. Draw the body before the fish, not the other way round.
What you need
An HB pencil, plain paper and an eraser. A 2B pencil helps if you want darker final lines, and the panda face uses a little shading, but nothing on this page needs special materials. No tablet, no light box, no expensive paper.
Three things that make a bear look like a bear
- The ears are too big. Bear ears are small and round and sit close to the head. If they are tall or pointed, you have drawn a cat.
- The body is too slim. Bears are wide and heavy. Widen the body and shorten the legs and it will read correctly straight away.
- The muzzle is missing. A bear has a soft raised snout in the middle of its face. Without it the face looks flat, like a teddy printed on fabric.
Bear or panda
A panda is a bear, so the panda face close up sits here too. The only real difference when you draw one is the dark patches around the eyes and the dark ears. Everything else follows the same round shapes as any other bear on this page.
Ways to use these drawings
Copy any of these by hand, or download and print them for yourself, for your children or for your classroom. They work as colouring sheets, tracing practice, a warm up before a bigger drawing, or line art for a card. If you want to use one in something you sell, write to us first.
Questions people ask
What is the easiest bear drawing on this page?
The simple bear face close up. It is one circle for the head, two small circles for the ears and a rounded muzzle. There is no body, so nothing has to line up. The bear paw print is even simpler if you want a warm up first.
Are these bear drawings free to download?
Yes. Every drawing here can be downloaded and printed for personal use, school use or classroom use at no cost. For commercial use, please contact us first.
Can young children draw these?
Most of them. The bear face, the panda face, the paw print and the teddy bear are all suitable for children around five or six and up, because they are built from circles. The side view bear is better for older children and adults.
Why does my bear look like a dog?
Almost always the ears and the snout. A dog has floppy or pointed ears and a longer snout that sticks out. A bear has small round ears sitting flat on the head and a short muzzle. Fix those two and it will look like a bear.
Is a panda a bear?
Yes. Giant pandas are members of the bear family, which is why the panda face is included here. When you draw one, use the same round shapes as any other bear and add the dark eye patches and dark ears.
How do I draw bear paws?
Draw one large rounded pad, then four smaller rounded toes in an arc above it. Bear paws are wide and flat rather than delicate. The paw print drawing on this page shows the shape on its own if you want to practise it.
What pencil should I use?
An HB for the light guide shapes and a 2B for the final lines. If you only have one pencil, an HB is fine. Press lightly at the start so the guide lines rub out cleanly.
Are these drawings made by hand?
Yes. Each one was drawn in pencil on plain paper and photographed. They are not computer generated or traced from photographs.